Ex-prisoners 'more likely to be hospitalised'

Former prisoners have an elevated risk of hospitalisation for preventable conditions such as asthma, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes, a study has found.

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine looked at data on 110,419 people who were released from prison between 2002 and 2010.

These individuals were then compared with members of the general population with the same age, sex, race and geographic location.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The study authors observed that one in 70 former prisoners was hospitalised for an acute condition within seven days of release, rising to one in 12 within the first 90 days.

Dr Emily Wang, assistant professor of medicine at Yale and an author of the study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, said these rates are far higher than those seen in the general population.

She revealed: 'The period immediately after release has a high risk of an event requiring hospitalisation, indicating a potential target for improving healthcare in this population before and after release.'

NetDoctor, part of the Hearst UK wellbeing network
Netdoctor participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.